Community-Based Model for Improving Child Nutrition Status: A success story in Yen Bai

In recent years, Vietnam has achieved notable achievements in improving the nutritional status of the people. Most of the objectives of the National Nutrition Strategy for 2001 – 2010 have been met or exceeded; food security has also been enhanced, and people’s diets have been improved in quantity and diversified in quality; people’s knowledge and practice of nutrition have been improved significantly; the underweight rate in children under five has dropped relatively fast and continuously. However, the stunting rate still accounts for 25% of all children under five and this rate remains especially high in mountainous areas and within ethnic minorities; mothers’ knowledge and practice of nutrition in these areas are limited and household food security has not been stable.

With financial support from MOFA, the Government of Japan, from March 2013 to June 2016, Save the Children collaborated with the Provincial Health Department and the Center for Reproductive Health Care of Yen Bai in implementing the project “Promoting alternative improvements to child nutrition and food security for the poorest of the poor” in six communities: Tu Le, Son Luong, Nam Lanh, Nghia Son, Binh Thuan and Minh An of Van Chan district, Yen Bai province. The goal was to improve food security and nutrition for infant and children under the age of two.

This document summarizes the activities of the project from strategy development, implementation of interventions with specific models, achievements, and lessons learned. Save the Children hopes that the experiences and results gathered from this project can be of value to other professional organizations and agencies of the same sectors and policy makers at all levels.